photo Tara Benwell Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.

dateline: 20 February 2019

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Russia To Ban Smartphones for Military

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

  • ban: to no longer allow usage
  • military: people who work in the armed forces; soldiers
  • personnel: people who are employed with a service or organization
  • track: to look for and record information
  • geolocation: the geographic location (tracked digitally)
  • on duty: working

Russia To Ban Smartphones for Military

Russia’s parliament has to ban the use of smartphones and social media for military personnel. The purpose of the ban is to prevent intelligence services from tracking military units and uncovering secret military information. Military personnel will not be allowed to photos, videos, geolocation data, or personal updates while on duty. The new bill, which still needs full approval, also seeks to prevent Russian soldiers from writing about their military experience or talking to .

Comprehension Questions

  1. What is the reading mainly about?
  2. What is the purpose of the ban?
  3. Why does the report mention journalists?

Discussion Question

Why do you think some militaries ban personnel from wearing fitness trackers?

show Answers

Written and recorded by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
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